"Singing in the Rain!"

Rich, good clarification, thank you.

(Hey, spell check worked, yeehee, grin)

Have a great day in The Rain,

Duane

I see so many people with huge points getting credit for jokes/forward material! Thanks for writing on behalf of many AR members who are thinking what you wrote!

great post Rich. I have always used original content, but I was never aware of not recieving points for doing otherwise.

thanks for the information I am trying to get a handle on the nuances of active rain.  It is definitely information overload

I wondered what those buttons were for???  I don't do jokes, recipes, etc... but this is good information on how to better use the system. For those that do publish jokes, recipes, if they check the box then no points, brilliant.

RJ,

There are so many newbies who "Cut and paste" it`s really becoming a huge issue.

Thanks for pointing t his out!

It is SO much more fun to write than to cut and paste, and writing lets the poster skip that first box....

Rich...

This is an excellent reminder. I work hard on my posts and always use my own photographs, so I feel that in most cases I have earned the 200 points.

Thanks for bringng ths to everyone's attention!

How about reprinted franchise articles...selling/buying tips and such? I see a lot of that.

Right on...I do breeze past those check boxes...but, while I can't guarantee the quality or value. the content I post, is my own.

Rich,
Here I stand ready for my 10 lashes with a wet noodle!  I've not posted any recipes or jokes in a long while but I have done it.  I get it now!  Thanks.

I remember when I posted something that was not min, I checked that box. I know now to only post original post!

A clarification that was really needed Rich ! Thanks for the lesson many can use !

Thank you for posting this reminder.  Hopefully it will help slow down the "cheater".

Rich I am so thankful that my work is just so original....ya right :)

Rich - another good reminder. Bet it's easily forgotten, especially when dangling those 200 points.

Jeff

Good point and reminder Rich. I'm far too unintellegent to post anything but my mindless rhetoric :-)

Rich, I have seen many jokes etc. and always wondered if they were considered real posts...now I get it...thanks!

Rich, thanks for pointing this out. Checking the box doesn't give you any points, but it still doesn't give you the right to copy some elses blog and post it without permission. Thanks for the reminder.

Good Post!

I think some people have gotten the point.... but with so many new members, this must be a nightmare to police.

Rich, one can say that there is nothing original because everything has been written before, we just don't know by who (and when).  I kind of like the idea of get a copy of War and Peace and post one page at a time.... maybe I don't like that idea so much. too much work.  Are you going to Inman Connect? AJ

Rich, Haven't used the boxes yet, but now I know when to use them. Thank you.

Thanks for the clarification .... gulp.  Is that spell checker ever going to work?

AJ:  Yes to Inman. That's the plan now anyway. Hope to see you there!

Lyn:  Yes, hopefully very soon!

What part of your statement do people not understand?

So, if you're posting jokes, recipes, Bible verses, newsletters, MLS/IDX feeds, or any other content that is not Your own original content, and you have permission to repost, please check this box.

Now, let's add on:

• ONLY quotes from other historic people (no other content whatsoever)
• A beautiful sunset picture (that isn't theirs) with a 50 word explanation
• An email recopied ...because they thought it was...cute.
• One line and the rest copied pictures...and to make up the difference with 40 words (to equal 50 for points) they add on their advertising info.

Okay...enough from me :)

I appreciate your posts Rich...it IS beneficial to all who need guidance ...

More details to learn. Thanks.

I am still trying to figure out what points do for you, and I have not made my first post.

I have commented a few times. My first post will be my own content for sure.

what is an AR community builder?

Jim Burr

"How about reprinted franchise articles..."

Monika's comment is well made. I have seen duplicate posts several times from different members posting their "Market Commentary"

The same commentary - word for word - from different AR members.

It is taken from the alamode website provided content, the Daily Lock Status report.

It is almost silly to see these "Market Reports" that are borrowed, with appropriate licensing of course, and posted alongside real quality content from Jim Crawford, Jeff Belonger, Brian Brady, and many other top AR professionals.

However I did not know there is a policy against such borrowered content, or at least a policy not to award points for such content.

If a post does not have points awarded for whatever reason, do the comments that are made on the blog post receive comment points?

This post should be reposted on all the more active groups - except with a more direct title. "Points are allowed only for original content."

Next time I see such franchise articles passing for original content market reports, I will flag it as appropriate.

And to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, maybe they did not understand this policy. I did not know this.

Thanks,

Richard

Rich, My blogging motto has always been "All original all the time". It makes things a whole lot easier that way. I did however get nailed for a stolen picture. That cost me a cool $1,000 to make the attorney go away. That was an expensive lesson to learn. But learn I did.

I always looked at that box, and whether or not to check it, as being for copyrighted material: copying/pasting a copyrighted article (not necessarily a recipe or a joke sent to me as someone heard it, as opposed to as someone copied it).  I will pay more attention to the box now, thank you. :)

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. I think this will help a lot of the "jokes" and "recipes" posts get cut down to the really, really good ones.

I'm not into posting that stuff, and I don't mind terribly those who do - but I prefer when they aren't Point Whores (Credit Teri Lussier for that term, I believe :). This will help!

spl chek?  Wat's dat?  Yowzers!  BB got fined $1000 for a picture?  Maybe that's why I don't include them in my posts unless I take them typically...

Thank you for the reminder Rich. We all need to watch for non original material. I have yet to post a recipe or joke but it's amazing all that isn't original. Have a wonderful weekend.

Later in the rain~Deb

If I modified Grandma's recipe...is it now mine?  If there are more than 5 of the 10 ingredients that are the same as everyone's, like ground beef in a meatball...is that not original anymore? 

There's nothing new under the sun, Rich.  We're all in the same field.  I bet we all stole ideas from one of our mentors or people in the office.  "original" is sometimes adopted.

I breeze by the box.  Always have.  Always will.  I guess that's pretty un-original :)

Another swell post Rich. Do you all really sit around and talk about this sort of thing? Once you decide for sure the exact words will there be some enforcement  to follow,LMAO.

Since you didn't happen to come by my post, and I don't do links in other people's comments sections, that is rude, I will cut and past my original content right here for you. Actually Rich I am honored to find an excuse to put this on your post as a comment. So here goes. ( PS, I logged again in another window , just so I could cut and paste this for you.

The post was about my most positive experience with ActiveRain and it was the Enlargers here ( you being one of them). Each Enlarger received a description of my impression of them and what they contribute here. It was brief and I didn't do a long detail but short and sweet I thought was a nice touch , :-)

"Rich Jacobson- A community leader that knows how to inspire and encourage the best from each of us. He shares praise and almost never criticizes, He inspires with creativity and it all comes so naturally. He is the Community of ActiveRain.

Hi Rich, as always, thank you for your guidance.  There's much diversity here, but most interesting to me are the AR police who are not AR principals.  Most of us try to do things the right way.. in my humble opinion. I remain very thankful for AR.

Rich - Imagine that !   ORIGINAL CONTENT.. what a concept!   I can't imagine where you got the idea to blog about this topic!  LOL

Katrina Madewell in Tampa

Rich,

I talked about this so many times...there are so many jokes and recipes being posted and I'll bet they arent the bloggers content. Your'e gonna have to go in and find them all because I guarantee there are plenty...but how will you do it is the question.

Rich...

I think maybe thr "reasoning" is overlooked. Original content is what make the site unique, and appealing to a very hungry Google spider!

Hi Rich ... Thanks for the reminder.  By the way, I noticed a comment about nothing is a new idea.  Copyright refers to the words used by the copyright holder ... how he presents it and not the idea itself.  An exchange of ideas is what it's all about .... 

This makes sense

i always wondered about the graphics people use

Anne

Thanks Rich, I wondered what those boxes were for, but never really understood them!

Rich - I have seen MANY occasions when the content was clearly not original, but the box wasn't checked.  Good idea to clarify this for everyone!

There is still a lot of "vague" in that description.  As well as a lot of room for not original content.  If I have an article that I have written, and it is syndicated to 15 different sites (I actually have a couple of those)... it certainly isn't original to A|R... but it is also MY content. 

I don't believe in posting jokes and recipes (but I have a recipe or two that rock ;^ ), but those aren't the only things that get posted that are not-point worthy.  And no matter what, there will be people that don't deserve the points they get, and others that deserve points they don't get. 

If there is a system, it will get gamed.

Rich - thanks for the guidance - hopefully the people that need to read this will.

Hey, who you callin' a drip! :-0

Good explanation but what would you expect from the crab king! :-)

Gracious Rich...

Are we supposed be flagging the Jokes that are posted for points? The Jokes for points have always been a bit of a thorn in my paw. All original .. All The Time .. Is the only time points should be rewarded. Okay. I better stop before I type out the rest of what I'm thinking :)

TLW...ROAR!

I never knew what those boxes are for!  Thanks for the post.

For the check box the word "content" should be changed to "creation".
But even that won't stop the "too lazy to create" members.

Rich,

I know you guys have a hard time monitoring this but it's all over AR...and it's just so they can post something and they can't be creative enough to write something original....I found quite a few from a random search...if you paste the post into google you'll see how many times it's been stolen or repaeted...I'm not even sure who the original person is. But I'll tell you this ...it's all about the points because if it wasn't then they would disable it just like you said but obviously they get nothing for it so they don't disable it.

Rich,

Great explanation. I always post my own stuff, but often see articles like that. I did not realize that the bloggers, on their own accord, are disabling their points. I thought AR did it to them.

The bottom line here is that each of us is responsible for our own content. As AR Staff, we have limited resources, so we can't go around micro-managing what everyone writes. Just use common sense. If you encounter someone who is clearly violating/gaming the point system, kindly send them a link to this post. The best deterrent is to lead by example, and for more members to post good, relevant, quality articles.

For all of you who consistently post your own original content, Thank you!

Ardell:  Solomon said there was nothing new under the Sun. But there's a HUGE difference in changing up Grandma's recipe to plagiarizing someone's intellectual property for unfair point advantage. There's nothing wrong with reposting someone else's stuff, as long as you have their permission. You just don't get brownie points for it....

Carole Cohen:  I miss your face. You need to pop up more in the Rain...

William: What makes you think I didn't come by your post? Who do you think gave it the Gold Star?

Then what is the sense of flagging a post if AR won't check it?

Definitely answered n\my question as to why points were disallowed for a few blogs. Would make sense to explain that when someone clicks on the button below a post rather than posting this

An Unexpected Error Occurred.

We've notified the appropriate people at ActiveRain about this error. Sorry! We'll try to get whatever caused this fixed as soon as possible.

This doesn't explain why the points were deleted.

Jack

Neal:  Who said that there wasn't any sense in flagging posts? And who said AR doesn't check them? Not sure where you're coming up with that? My last point was simply to say that each of us, as vested members of the AR Community, can have a positive effect on helping to curb this problem. With almost 100K members, there is no way for AR Staff to adequately police each and every instance. But with all of us together, through our own examples of writing quality content, and taking the time to guide the newer members, we can work towards improving this issue.

We need a button to disable points when we make unoriginal comments.  I know most of mine are, lol.

But ty, I will keep this in mind when I make my first post.

I accidentally checked the box and lost my 200 points for a post...I will definitely breeze past with more caution now :(

Hey - thanks!!!!

Thanks for posting this information.  I am sure that it has helped someone.  Since I have parents that are computer programmers, I have been trained to "read the screen".  I know that isn't always the case.

Keep up the good work.

It's always good to hear someone else's interpretation for this.  I do think, however, that when you bring an interesting article or an informative report to the attention of the group because they may not have had an opportunity to read it, that this is also very valuable to others and adds value.  Of course, this should be notated, and ultimately it is not up to any of us to decide if it is worthy of "points" which should not be the ultimate reason anyone posts something on the network anyway.  Your viewpoint is much appreciated.

Good luck to you,

Carole Lhuillier

Rich,

You are correct about the learning curve here at Active Rain I also appreciate your interpretation on the subject but also   I do think, however, that compelling information and  articles are ok if used for quites and not as the overall posts. I am amazed at the hundreds (if not thousands of seemingly useless post/ blogs that are submitted for the purpose of points only. I certainly do not want someone "yawning" and ignoring completely, my own posts and am trying to take a new tact with something that illustrates me personally as well as providing some quality content! 

Thanks for the clarification since so many of us quickly pass over those boxes.  And kudos also for creating a great blog to elicit so many AR comments and opinions!  That technique has also taught me something about AR as well. 

What makes nio zip nadda sense to me and should be pointless...is the wordless blogs that some people find occasion to write all too often....a picture with no caption and apparenly the word count is from the bottom of the blog with pleas to "twitter, facebook, follow, twit..."..recipes and jokes at least have a "point"....a picture...not sooo much.  Thanks for listening !